MINNE

For

Doone

GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE JULY 9, 1993

Claws

Wouse

Stevens

Albert

Austin

Rochester

WE'VE BEEN

TRAVELING

240 24

A LOT OF MILES

Duaunve

TO FIND GOOD

CEDAR RAPIDS

mesvi

ROCKFORD

BOOKS FOR YOU

Auple

..yonu uy

Lac

DES MOINES

USASOLS

Ottumwa

DAVENPORT

CAV

Burunginn

Mbhne

Ruc

...Island

Galesburg

Bookstore on W. 25th

SPRINGFIELDTM

1921 W 25th St.

-566-8897-

Vector.

Monday-Saturday 10-6 Sunday 12-5

La/Jutters

Cay.

DECAT

Segand

444'3,189

140439

JMS

On A Man Hunt?

Go On a "Virtual Safari" in the Gay People's Chronicle

Voice Personals!!

Respond to Your Favorite Personal Immediately!

1-900-370-7566

DREW CARI

Cleveland City Council President Jay Westbrook, Stonewall-Cleveland President Keith Sutton, and Ohio Attorney General Lee Fisher (l to r) at the Stonewall dinner.

Increased recognition of Stonewall seen at dinner

by Martha Pontoni

"Make your reservations now, because next year we are going to be in the Grand Ballroom," exclaimed Stonewall Cleveland's John Nolan, overcome by the number of people in attendance and the success of this year's political dinner.

More than 350 gay men, lesbians and their supporters attended the June 13 Stonewall dinner, a three-fold increase over the first dinner last year.

Visible this year was an increased number of political figures or their representatives. Eleven more politicians attended this year from last. Most notable were Attorney General Lee Fisher, State Representative Madeline Cain, and Judge Stuart Freidman from the Court of Common Pleas.

Fisher made an unplanned speech, citing the history of Ohio's Hate Crimes legislation. Fisher explained that he and then-State Rep. Michael R. White proposed the legislation in response to a cross-burning in Cleveland. At the time, Fisher said, he was unaware of the need to include crimes against lesbians and gay men in the language of the law. He asserted that no lesbians or gay men came forward to express a need for inclusion. He pledged to rectify the situation by amending the law to include sexual orientation as a protected class. Fisher received a standing ovation from the attendees.

Tim McFeeley, executive director of the Human Rights Campaign Fund was the keynote speaker. He began his speech with a litany of bad news about the national state of the community, but finished with a rousing list of all that people could do to help make a change. "You don't get what you deserve, you get what you work for," he said.

Also making a brief address was Rhonda Rivera, a nationally-acclaimed attorney in the area of lesbian and gay law, and featured speaker at last year's dinner. She spoke of the danger the religious right presented in Ohio and the need to combat it early. She announced a statewide meeting to be held in Columbus later this year to stop the anti-gay initiatives before they start.

Other politicians in attendance were: Sam Thomas III, representing Mayor Michael White; Ronna Leubitz, representing Rep. Eric Fingerhut; Cleveland City Council President Jay Westbrook; City Council members Helen Smith, Jim Rokakis, Dale Miller and Ray Pianka; and City of Cleveland Heights Councilman Ken Montlack.

Stonewall Cleveland announced that next year's dinner would be on June 12, 1994, and they were expecting enough people to fill Stouffer's Grand Ballroom. Organizers will work on attracting more women and people of color to attend the political ♡

event.

Clinton appoints AIDS czar

Washington-The new federal AIDS coordinator endorsed needle exchanges for drug addicts June 29 but stopped short of urging condom distribution in schools. She said she will coordinate all government AIDS programs with a staff of five.

Kristine Gebbie, who was appointed by President Clinton June 25 after others turned the post down, said she's been given "clear authority to work across the Cabinet" on federal efforts to deal with the epidemic.

She comes to the position after serving for 11 years as head of the Oregon Health Division. In 1989 she moved to the state of Washington as director of the state Health Department where she spent two highly criticized years.

ACT UP and other opponents of her appointment voiced concern that she may not have the muscle to make change. But others, such as the AIDS Action Council, have thrown their support behind her. She said that she hopes to focus the government's efforts by getting different parts of the bureaucracy talking to each other.

In two areas, education and needle exchanges, Gebbie indicated that the government planned to take a more liberal approach. She is supportive of needle-ex-

change programs and says they work, but is more reluctant to endorse schools as the proper place for condom distribution.

Administration officials have said action on the AIDS front would be coming soon.

House blocks D.C. partners

Washington-The U.S. House voted to block the District of Columbia from allowing city workers to register as unmarried partners to share health and hospitalization benefits.

The amendment offered by Rep. Ernest Istook Jr., R-Okla., was adopted by a 251177 vote June 30. A similar amendment to block the district from implementing this plan was enacted last year.

Istook offered the amendment during debate on the fiscal year 1994 appropriation for the nation's capital. The bill was approved 213-211 and sent to the Senate.

The capital has limited home rule; Congress can overrule the city council. ♡